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RSSArchive for the ‘arts & crafts’ CategoryDang, the kid can color!Posted October 25th, 2009 by Jen in arts & crafts, education, family life, parenting10 Comments » I’m not one to pay much attention to developmental milestones in my children. But my five year old boy gives new meaning to “color inside the lines.” Here is what he accomplished last week, all in one sitting.
I thought it was pretty cool, my husband thought it was pretty freaky. “Did you notice how he colored every shape the same color?” he asked incredulously. While father was proud of his son, he wondered at the sophisticated color patterns and the precision of his little strokes. Talk about fine motor skills. Had I not observed him complete this entire masterpiece, I wouldn’t have believed it. I remembered being annoyed with him for stomping around the room in frustration because he couldn’t find yellow. Apparently, he had run out, and no other color would do. He found what he wanted, and continued. So, could you do as well? Not me! Technorati Tags: art, art for children, coloring, developmental milestones  Hark, I hear a robin calling!Posted April 3rd, 2009 by Jen in arts & crafts, france/french, poetry2 Comments »
The painting above is called Le Poème de l’âme - Le Printemps (The Poem of the Soul - Spring) by Anne-François-Louise Janmot (1814-1892), and can be found at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, France. Are you hearing robins in your part of the world? I think Montgomery’s poem pairs perfectly with this painting, don’t you? I love Lucy Maud Montgomery, and in fact, just today, my daughter watched the Anne of Green Gables movie. Anyway, spring is in the air, and I do believe I have spring fever. Mark Twain describes it best:
The Masters and the ClassicsPosted March 8th, 2009 by Jen in arts & crafts, education, features12 Comments » “Get your journals ready,” I tell my 6th grade students every morning. From 8:00 to 8:10 a.m. most school days, I have a short piece of classical music on queue in the CD player, along with a work of art from one of the masters displayed on the music stand at the front on the classroom. I feel that this beginning part of our day is perhaps the most important thing I do. I had to work hard to squeeze it in, because if you work for a school, you know that your schedule is very tight with all the other subject requirements and content you are obliged to cover in a given year. But the beauty this brings to my classroom is worth every bit of effort. Music feeds the soul, and art, well, a good long look at a masterpiece could be the equivalent of reading a 300 page classic novel. I have to make clear that this 10-15 minute art/music journal time is meant to be a broad overview to simply expose kids to the greatest works of art and music of all time. I figure that by the end of the school year, they will have been introduced to more masterpieces than most adults ever will be familiar with. On the whiteboard, there is a section on the left side reserved for the daily journal questions. In bold letters I write “Look” with little eyeballs in the o’s, followed by the title of the painting and the journal question. Below this I draw an ear icon next to the word “Listen,” along with the title of the musical piece and a query. Writing prompts help them to get started and stir up ideas. Here are a few examples of how it works: Day 1: LOOK: The Dancing Couple, by Jan Steen, 1663. Journal Question: Jan Steen loved to paint life “as it is,” and used painting as storytelling. What details of this painting tell you that Steen captured daily life with all its messiness? (My students noticed broken eggshells strewn on the floor, a stray spoon, turned over containers, and a general chaotic, merry feeling.) LISTEN: Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080, by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), from Classical Kids, Mr. Bach Comes to Call. Journal Question: A fugue is when you have have more than one musical line going on at once, and they all use the same theme. It’s called imitative counterpoint. Bach is the prime example of the fugue. Can you hear the themes? (I will generally have the kids write in their own words what a fugue is for this journal entry, otherwise it would simply be a yes or no answer.) ***** Notice that the above painter and musician come from generally the same time period. I like pairing them like this. Even better is pairing the artist and the musician from the same country and time period, and aligning this with your history curriculum. Day 2: LOOK: Red Boats in Argenteuil, by Claude Monet, 1875 Journal Question: Pure black is rarely used by the impressionist painters. Monet would instead combine several colors to achieve the appearance of black: blues, greens and reds. What color are the shadows in this painting?
Journal Question: Write down each character and the musical instrument that corresponds to it. Which is your favorite? ***** One of my proudest moments came earlier this year, just after the Super Bowl, actually. During the Super Bowl, a cute Coke commercial was aired, the one with the insects in a meadow who steal away with the sleeping guy’s Coca Cola. The entire commercial is set to just one sound, with no voices: the music from Peter and the Wolf. It was Peter’s theme, the most recognized piece of the composition. That Monday, I asked my kids if any of them watched the Super Bowl and noticed the Coke commercial. A few of them made me jump for joy - Yes! they chimed in–it was Peter and the Wolf! A few parents even noted to me how surprised they were when their children recognized the tune. This small incident highlighted for me why I do what I do. Now, I’d like to share some resources that make this art/music series possible and mostly FREE. I don’t have a written program I follow at this point, but I hope to develop one to make this much easier for teachers to replicate, along with journal questions for each piece. For now, I gather materials as I go, and decide about a week ahead of time what to present, trying to align this with our history/social studies units. Here’s a short list to get you started. 1. National Gallery of Art. Most folks are unaware that the National Gallery of Art has a free lending program. This has been invaluable to me! So far, almost all of my art, with the exception of some books I own, has come from this fabulous program. Most teaching packets come with a teachers guide, a CD of images, slides, and large color study prints. I sign up online for the programs I want, NGA ships them right to me at no cost, and I’m responsible only for the cost of returning them media mail. Can’t beat this. If you don’t have a slide projector, look for one. Or just use the large prints. If you are fortunate enough to have a projector for your computer, you certainly have an easy job! Some of my favorite teaching packets so far have been: Painting in the Dutch Golden Age 2. Your local public library. This has been the source of nearly all my classical music for kids. If you have a collection built up already, you’re in luck. The most difficult part of the music for me was coming up with journal questions. I loved the classical kids CDs that incorporated a story with the music, because this made the journaling so much easier for the kids. This way, my questions can also be about details from the composer’s life, which are typically included in these CDs, or questions about the storyline if it’s an opera or ballet. Here are my favorites: Famous Composers, written by Darren Henley, read by Marin Alsop.
More Famous Composers, written by Darren Henley, read by Marin Alsop.
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, by Stephen Simon and narrated by Yadu.
The Story of Swan Lake, by Tchaikovsky, from Maestro Classics.
I hope you’ve been encouraged today to devote some teaching time to the classics of art and music. Just a few minutes a day, with consistency, will achieve more than you can imagine. Some of you may have some other great resources to add to my short list - if so, let me know about them! Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education. Plato The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. Aristotle
Technorati Tags: art education, music education, classical music, the master painters, journaling The ArtistPosted May 21st, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, family life, features, religion9 Comments » My kids were picking up old tin cans on the other side of her field. I watched with some admiration how the owner of the field, a strong, determined looking woman, was quickly moving pipes to irrigate the field for her cattle. I had seen her before on a tractor pulling a plow, and before that digging trenches. An Oregon farm woman, not an unusual sight around here. What I didn’t know was that she was just as accomplished with a paintbrush and oils as she was in handling the workings of an 80 acre ranch. This was Pixie Gullickson, and she’s just as cute and sprightly as her name sounds. I think she’s such a fine artist at least in part because of her full engagement in life and her many interests. She must have a third lens through which she views the world, picking up on the intricacies of nature and the handiwork of the Creator, and before this ever hits the canvas, it comes forth from her heart, gathering expression and spirit as it goes.
I love how Pixie painted this Indian woman in a canoe, which painting hangs regally above her bed, as if on watch through the night. It’s an enormous painting with bold and confident color, and I didn’t even fit it all in here. Her father was half Choctaw, and Pixie’s Native American heritage is evident in much of her work. Scattered throughout her home are many Indian artifacts, arrowhead displays, beads, feathers, leather work. These two paintings I found in her studio, one of a warrior and one of her father: I was able to get Pixie to sit still long enough to answer a few questions for you (a difficult task, I can assure you, as this woman never seems to stop), and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this interview. Jen: What are your earliest memories of art? Was this a childhood interest? Was it a hobby, an artistic outlet, a therapeutic thing?
Jen: Are you self-taught, or have you had any art training?
Jen: What advice would you give to other budding artists regarding how to further their skills?
Jen: I know you work in several mediums, but what is your favorite artistic expression?
Jen: You are very giving and generous; however, you have earned money from your art. How did you begin to establish art as a career, and what advice would you give to a starving artist trying to make his/her way?
Jen: Art can be a powerful tool for ministry. Can you share a testimony about some way that your art has been used to touch someone’s place of need with the love of God?
Thank you, Pixie! Technorati Tags: art ministry, art, nail art, murals, art education, murals, Central Oregon A Strawberry Tea PartyPosted April 27th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, family life, features, health/cooking/food, holidays6 Comments »
Little girls love tea parties, but so do big girls like me, and even the little boys in my family want a part in the fun — my eight year old son would like to be the server, and my three year old son just wants to eat the goodies. We are planning a strawberry-themed tea party, at the request of the girls, and would like to share the menu and details with you. The tradition of teatime is a long and cherished one, and our tea party, which will include the children, a few friends, and a few mommas, will open with a bit of the story of tea. The first known reference to the sale of tea in Britain comes from a 1658 London Gazette, with this historic news:
It was from China that tea came, and the exact origin is lost in the haze of legend, but one story traces this charming drink to an Emperor who lived almost 5,000 years ago.
There is so much more to the fascinating history of tea, from China to Japan to Holland, to England and the rest of Europe, and to the United States. For you home educators and history buffs, you may want to incorporate more of these details into your party, and perhaps even have a “Tea Unit Study” beforehand. I have listed some resources for you at the end. But we must get on the party!
An assortment of teas will include, of course, strawberry tea. Small pitchers of cream, sugar, and honey will be set out. For my little ones, I’ll brew a not-too-strong tea. Depending on the weather, we may indulge in the glory of tea al fresco, taking advantage of our large wrap-around porch and spacious yard.
A tea party is not complete without the delicacies and pastries, and this is my simple menu: Strawberry Gems
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly combine flour, butter, egg yolks, vanilla and brown sugar. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan, trying to keep an even thickness. Spread the strawberry preserves on top. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, gently pressing them in. Bake (at 350 degrees) for 30 to 35 minutes. Let it cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. Creamed Scones
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a heavy, large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Sift together flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Mix in sugar. Add the butter and rub between your fingers until the mixture resembles fine meal. Pour the milk, whipping cream and egg yolk into a small bowl and blend with a whisk. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and press to a thickness of 1 inch. Cut out rounds using a 2-inch or 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Gather together the scraps and press them together to a thickness of 1 inch and continue to cut out rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them apart evenly so none are touching. Brush the tops with the glaze (beaten egg). Bake (at 450 degrees) until golden brown, around 15 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve with butter and strawberry preserves. Cucumber Sandwiches Loaf of Country Style White Bread Cut good quality white bread into thin slices. Butter one side of each slice and remove the crusts. Thinly slice seedless (hot house or European) cucumbers and place one layer of slices on 1 piece of buttered bread. Put another slice on top, butter facing the cucumbers. Cut on 2 diagonals in the shape of the letter X to produce 4 triangle-shaped finger sandwiches. Fresh Strawberries
Strawberry Tea Strawberry tea, which contains no caffeine and is easy to locate in specialty shops, natural-food stores, and many supermarkets, is an especially appealing iced drink. You might serve it bejeweled with strawberries. Yield: 6 to 8 servings
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a full boil. Add the tea and sugar, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain the tea into a large pot or pan. Stir in the lemon juice, and let the tea cool to room temperature. Serve the tea over ice, garnished with the sliced strawberries. Tea Concentrate for a Group When you are preparing for a large group tea, you can brew this concentrate up to two hours ahead and still serve hot, perfect tea to your guests. This recipe makes about fifty cups of tea, but you can make more or less concentrate according to your needs. Just remember: To make tea in quantity, don’t brew longer — use more tea.
Pour boiling water over tea in large non-metallic container such as an earthenware crock. Let steep for five minutes, then strain the tea leaves or remove the teabags. Store concentrate at room temperature until needed. To serve, use about two tablespoons of concentrate per five-ounce cup — or about three parts of water to every part concentrate. Simply place the desired amount of concentrate in a cup or pot and then add hot water. Note: This concentrate also makes delicious iced tea. Put four tablespoons in an eight-ounce glass of water, then add water and ice. Hospitality is at the heart of tea time, so the best part of your Strawberry Tea Party will be the care the hostess shows for her guests, the conversation that flows, the giggles among children feeling so grownup-ish, and the memory of tea. Resources for this article: Talking of Tea by Gervas Huxley
Technorati Tags: children, tea time, tea party, children’s tea party, strawberry tea, creamed scones Simple Spring DecoratingPosted April 20th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, features, holidays, product review16 Comments » There is nothing like the changing of seasons to make me want to freshen up my home décor. And with spring now in full swing (despite the brief flurry of snow today), I went hunting for some simple home decorating ideas to fit my frugal budget.
Something to keep in mind about this particular plant, however: Bromeliads are “monocarpic,” meaning they die after flowering, but it’s a slow process, usually taking up to 3 years. During that time, however, 1 to 3 offsets are produced which can be re-potted to continue the species. Second, some spring color can be splashed into your living room by way of throw pillows. This is an inexpensive way to give a new look. It’s time to store the winter throws and pillows and replace them with pastel colored or lively spring patterned pillows. Like I said, I’m on a budget, so here is what I found at Goodwill, for a mere $1.99 for the red flowered one and .99 for the purple beaded throw, and $2.99 for the new wooden chair cushion. I tossed these pillows in the wash, and they’re good as new to me.
Next, I turned my attention to the kitchen. Put away are the holiday and winter napkins and table decorations. These new table linens - a set of 4 cloth napkins - caught my eye. I adore hydrangeas, so I snapped this set up for only $1.99, also at the thrift store. I looked for some porcelain to be a permanent spring table decoration, and I almost passed this lovely salt & pepper set by, thinking it was made in China. But when I turned the set to check the bottom markings, I was ecstatic to see “Made in Italy.” This, my dears, is the thrill of thrifting! The salt and pepper set was just $2.99, and the small matching pitcher was $2.99.
Not to leave the children’s bedroom out either, the kiddos were all with me while I did this shopping spree. JJ picked out this wooden-framed picture of the vase of red tulips (.99) and JoJo wanted this decidedly spring-y girl picture (the matted frame was $1.99 and the picture was $1.99, and I put them together - the girl came in a very ugly gold frame that had to go). One of the kids also grabbed this .99 orange button-framed picture for big brother’s dresser top.
I almost forgot the smell of spring! The fresh flowers may do the trick, and some people like the flower scented plug-ins. For myself, I’m allergy-prone and artificial scents give me terrible headaches. So, I opt for essential oils or natural candles. I love the scent of lavender, and with a drop of the essential oil on the lightbulb, I’m suddenly skipping through lavender fields in Provence. I already have several essential oils on hand, but they can be purchased for about $5/vial. Another natural scent tip is to place several cinnamon sticks and a few drops of vanilla in a small pot of water and simmer it on the stove. So, there you have it - a simple spring home make-over on a budget for less than $40! Of course, if your finances allow, you certainly don’t have to be as frugal as I was, and I know that not everyone is willing to shop at thrift stores. But it can be done, and I would love to hear about your own spring decorating ideas, whether budget-minded or deluxe.
Technorati Tags: spring color, home decor, frugal decorating, spring decorating, spring It’s a good thing Raphael didn’t attend public school in modern day WisconsinPosted April 19th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, education, history, religion14 Comments »
The Tomah Area School District in Wisconsin has a policy that bans Christian symbols in students’ artwork, leading to a high school student receiving a Zero on his illustration depicting a landscape with a cross and the lettering “John 3:16.” Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Giotto, and the rest of the famous artists who produced the religious masterpieces of the world: I’m forever grateful that you didn’t live in 21st century America where you have to sign away your freedom of religious expression.
Technorati Tags: art history, famous artists, First Amendment, religious expression Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots Winner!Posted April 15th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, blog stuff, carnivals, giveaways, product review0 Comments I’m pleased to announce the winner of my Gardening with Children book: commenter #17, AreWeThereYetMom, your book will be on the way shortly! Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children is sure to delight your whole family! Thank you so much, everyone who left me a comment on that post. Thanks to Laura for mentioning this book giveaway!
My current book giveaway is two homemade books from the Diary of 1 family, for those interested in native plant life. You may leave me a comment on The Child’s Spring Book by this Sunday to learn about these books and enter the drawing.This giveaway actually has a project attached to it - my kids are putting together an Oregon plant/nature book - a cute ziplock-bag-book - to pass on to a child who lives anywhere other than where we live. And I hope that child will then create a book highlighting his/her region to pass on to another child, and so on. It’s a very simple book, so don’t be intimidated to try it! -P.S., our Oregon book will have some child-intriguing extra odds and ends from our property, like these:
One more note about contests: I actually won something!! SmallWorld had a spring poetry contest, and my mom’s poem, Morning, was chosen, and I hear that I have a basket of spring goodies on the way to me, which of course I’ll share with my mom - can’t wait to show you! And those blog carnivals: The Carnival of Homeschooling, the Carnival of Homesteading, the Carnival of Family Life, the Christian Carnival, the Make it From Scratch Carnival. Technorati Tags: children, contest, garden, gardening with children, giveaway, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots Carnival of Homesteading #45Posted April 14th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, blog stuff, carnivals, family life, health/cooking/food, the ranch10 Comments »
So here is a very SIMPLE carnival, which I suppose is in keeping with the theme of homesteading! There were just 12 submissions, which I’ve listed first, followed by some of my own Top 10 Editor’s Picks that I grabbed from around the blogosphere, which fit the homesteading motif. You’ll find my own small commentary following each post. (Let me know if you find any errors, omissions, bad links, etc.) Rose Denson presents Spearmint Hot Pepper Horseradish Spray posted at Grandma Rosie’s Texas Home.
Dora Renee’ Wilkerson presents Making Cottage Cheese posted at Y-2K Hippie.
Belle presents My Diary of No Shampoo—-Day 4 and 5 posted at Born 100 Years to Soon.
Valereee presents Foraging: hot new foodie trend, or the hottest new foodie trend? posted at Cincinnati Locavore.
Dave Trenholm presents How to Make a Square Foot Garden posted at Alberta Home Gardening.
Moobeema presents MooBee Farm: The Burn Barrel Incident posted at MooBee Farm.
Sister Brenda presents Da Yooper Pasties Recipe and Tutorial posted at haflinger.
Flossie presents Aunt Lizzie’s Pound Cake posted at The Funny Farm.
Stephanie presents So Much to Say! posted at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.
GP presents How Green is Your Garden posted at Innstyle Montana- Come on Inn.
Miss Amanda presents Cake Baking Photo Essay posted at My Learning Experience.
Jacque Dixon presents From the Archives- Gardening 101 - You *Can* Teach Your Children!! posted at Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths.
At Tales from Creekistan, I found The Daffodil House. Just don’t look inside the house. At Blind Pig & the Acorn, I enjoyed The Fields of Home. I love that field, and read her garden wisdom. At Hidden Haven Homestead, this author is Counting Blessings. I’m just trying to count the goats. Down On The Farm shares some “Tails” From the Farm. In search of the perfect Jersey cow - bringing Buttercup home to the Back Forty. At Kentucky Hollers, Running Into the Neighbors can be a literal experience, and Catherine discovers that sometimes movie stars retire to the Appalachian foothills. Adventures in Farming coins a new saying, Snug as pigs in straw. The cutest little things I’ve ever seen. In My Kitchen Garden has an intriguing offer: Attention Homeless Organic Vegetable Lovers: Would You Like To Move To A Farm? Seriously. Pack your bags and go live with the enormous pot-bellied pig. Old Red Barn Co. clarifies work: It’s the reason you have kids, afterall. It was planting time, and lucky for Dana, she has a few sprightly young’uns. Yarnstorm muses about tulips and tempests.Wow, those colors. CraftApple instructs us on Gathering. For the seamstress in you - simple, foolproof techniques for a perfect gather. Happy homesteading, now get on with your baking, planting, stitching, haying, milking, crafting, canning, quilting life! Stay tuned next week, when the Homesteading Carnival will be hosted by Jacque at Seeking Rest in Ancient Paths. Submit your Homesteading posts HERE. Technorati Tags: blog carnival, carnivals, farm, garden, gardening with children, homesteading The Child’s Spring BookPosted April 13th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, book reviews, education, family life, features, giveaways, science16 Comments »
I present to you today the fruit of our outdoor adventure. We made several ziplock-bag-books yesterday, full of specimens of Central Oregon, in particular, Smith Rock State Park, where we had our outing. For those of you who already have your children keep a nature journal, you’ll find this project to be a perfect companion. (I’m giving away two of our books - an Oregon one and a blank one; leave a comment below by next Sunday if you’d like to enter!) The Zip-Lock Bag Book Supplies:
How To: The Pages:
Assembling the Book:
JoJo is so proud of her book, and slept with it last night. She couldn’t wait to decorate the cover with the foamy letters she received for her birthday. The other kids chose to use markers and pens to create their cover art. Some other ideas:
The hardest part about this project was the identification. Now, is that an arnica mollis or an arnica parryi? Sometimes, we just made our best guess. The rest of the project took no external motivation at all - this was such a delight for them. But certainly, the identification was one of the most valuable pieces of this book. The kids learned to look critically at a plant and really notice things they hadn’t before. The shape of a leaf, the texture, the number of petals. By the way, we are not done with the identifying - we need to check out a few books from the library. Like I said above, I’m giving away two of our homemade books, one filled with Central Oregon specimens and the other one blank for your region. Keep in mind that when I do crafts, it’s a fairly practical endeavor - just whatever is on hand - so these books will not be perfect, beautiful things! My 8 year old son will probably be doing most of the work. This is my plan: I’d like to give these two books to someone with a child who’s interesting in learning about Oregon plant life, and who will use the blank book to create his own regional book. I’m hoping that this child will then create an extra ziplock-bag-book from his region, and another blank one, and pass them on as well. And so on. Leave a comment below by next Sunday, April 20, if you’d like to win these books. My son will draw a random name and I’ll email the winner. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about our spring ziplock-bag-book! I think this is an ideal science/nature/art project for students of all ages. If you have any ideas to add, let me know. Resources:
Technorati Tags: art activities, art for children, Central Oregon, giveaway, home education, homeschool, outdoor play, ziplock bag book, nature journal, Smith Rock, spring Gardening With ChildrenPosted April 6th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, book reviews, education, family life, features, giveaways, parenting37 Comments »
This picture here is my little JoJo who spent several hours last week with her pint-sized rake and shovel. I was working on the main garden area, while she staked out a small spot of her own. The other children were doing likewise. I hesitated a moment when suddenly all the children wanted their own garden space in addition to the main garden. Was this okay? Would I be teaching them to be selfish and looking out only for themselves? I ended up deciding that the sense of community and family in the main garden would not at all be diminished by each child’s ownership in their own scratch of earth. In fact, it would probably deepen their respect for the family garden, knowing the responsibility and effort their own gardens require. I found a wonderful book to guide me through some activities to do in the garden with children. It’s called Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: gardening together with children, by Sharon Lovejoy. The book covers not only the basics of how to plan, plant, and care for your garden, but the top 20 plants for kids, theme garden ideas, and many little bits of garden wisdom. (I’m giving away a copy - leave me a comment on this post to enter.)
I would say that my first tip for gardening with children is to involve them in every decision. Where should we put the garden? Is this spot too shady or too sunny? This area is nice and level, but we’ll have to dig up some rocks, is that okay? What shape do we want the garden to be? What should we plant that will thrive in our region? Let’s test the soil and decide what supplements we may need. All of the issues that arise in the planning of the garden are incredible teaching tools, and there’s no better way for your kids to really understand the complexity - and joy - of it all than to walk through it with you step by step. And the sense of ownership will be there from the start - the greatest motivator I know. I never have to twist their arms to go work on the garden. Let’s jump right in to the top 20 plants for children to grow. This list comes from Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, based on the fact they are proven winners:
1. Pumpkins Do keep in mind your climate - some of these will fare better than others depending on where you live. In Central Oregon, for example, root crops like potatoes and carrots grow well with our short growing season and cool nights; but for some vegetables like corn or tomatoes, a short-season variety is a must for your plant to mature. Theme gardens can be a joy for children, and I’ll highlight just one of the themes from Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: the pizza patch. The Pizza Patch: gardening in the round is sure to delight children who are used to seeing a straight-row vegetable garden. This pizza patch garden is a giant sized six-foot-wide wheel shaped plot, divided into seven great wedges and edged with a thick rock crust. Ms. Lovejoy suggests the following ingredients for your pizza patch garden, but you can add other favorites as well:
Divide the garden into slices: mark spots at 32 inch intervals along the outer edge. Draw a line with a stick from each of the seven marks to the center stake, to denote the seven slices. Then place rocks along those lines for a permanent boundary, and you can remove the center stake. Place the five tall vegetables in each of the five slices on the northern side of the wheel - the plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, and zucchini. In a slice on the south side, plant the herbs, onions, and garlic. Set aside one slice to be the pathway for the little feet tending the garden. The bright gold marigolds and Calendulas can be filled in around the vegetables and herbs, the “cheese” of the pizza. To plant each slice, start from the center and work your way out. Plant tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, and zucchini 12-18 inches apart. In the small herb slice, space them 6 inches apart from the onions and garlic. The flowers are scattered throughout each slice, but allow 3 inches between them and other plants. When harvest time comes, you can throw a big pizza party with toppings straight from the garden!
Technorati Tags: Central Oregon, children, dirt, garden, gardening with children, giveaway, homesteading, outdoor play, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, pizza patch garden Norman Rockwell: The People’s PainterPosted February 24th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, book reviews, features, history, politics/world news, product review10 Comments »
However, passing time and a view through a lens clarified by our own humanity is providing a fresh take on Rockwell. Are we not in need of art that springs from sentimentality about American values? Is there not a desperate call to understand the dignity of the common man? Isn’t this a time to celebrate democracy and the individual? Do we not need hope for our nation in the face of economic and international uncertainties? The engaging power of Norman Rockwell paintings are for such a time as this. If one judges Norman Rockwell by popular appeal, he has always been wildly successful. Though derided by the art world, he was embraced by the people. Though his storyteller style was out of fashion in the modern, abstract art establishment, Rockwell was clearly understood. Rockwell wrote in 1936:
Norman Rockwell was best known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, of which he painted hundreds over a period of 47 years. Of these, there are four from 1943 that are among his most famous and influential works. The Four Freedoms series, published in 1943, was inspired by president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech in which he set forth four principles for universal rights: Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, and Freedom from Fear. The wartime effect of the bold statements made by these powerful paintings cannot be underestimated.
Lest we forget what American life was like in the 20th century, we have Rockwell. We can remember the best of America and the worst of America, but always with benevolent affection. The everyday happenings of everyday people were the subject of most of his work, painted with accuracy and an appealing sense of tradition. Resources:
Technorati Tags: art history, Boy Scout calendar, Norman Rockwel, Saturday Evening Post, The Four Freedoms Two Impressionist Paintings Recovered - Madness!Posted February 23rd, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts3 Comments »
A glaring sign that the robbers are mental cases? Just sitting there in the back of an unlocked white car, completely unharmed. The robbers don’t like pictures of beautiful flowers? How dare they cast aside that ravishing Monet! The other two stolen paintings, still not found, were portraits. And sorry for my uneducated opinion, but not pleasant to look at. Count Lepic and His Daughters (Edgar Degas), with the Count appearing rather hideous and his daughters like castaway dolls; and the mournful looking Boy in a Red Waistcoat by Paul Cezanne — would you want these hanging on your wall? Of course you would, if you’re a mental case.
Of interest: Kayla Webley’s Art Crime Blog and Stolen Vermeer.
Technorati Tags: art heist, art recovery, Bührle Collection, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Zurich, Switzerland Leonardo da Vinci For KidsPosted February 17th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, book reviews, education, features, history, science37 Comments »
There are volumes written about the genius of da Vinci, and it can be hard to know where to start, but if you’re interested in a unit study on this magnificent artist, I would begin with Janis Herbert’s book Leonardo da Vinci For Kids, His Life and Ideas - 21 Activities. Only 90 pages, Herbert’s book neatly breaks up the study into four sections, each including historical and artistic information, and activities for students to do at home or in the classroom: 1) A Boy in Vinci; 2) The Young Apprentice; 3) A Genius at Work; and 4) “I Shall Continue”. Herbert takes some literary license in her book, and creates some wonderful dialogue and scenarios, that while not authenticated, brings Leonardo da Vinci to life for young minds. I’ll highlight some of the activities Herbert has created for each section. ONE: A Boy in Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the small village of Vinci, in a region of Italy called Tuscany. He was the illegitimate son of a peasant woman and an ambitious notary. Probably because of his illegitimate status, Leonardo had little early education, other than the local priest teaching him how to read and write and use an abacus. Shuffled around to various family members as a child, Leonardo was left to himself quite often, and perhaps this solitude is what we’re still grateful for five centuries later, as he spent his days outdoors studying birds, plants, and nature. Activity: Brush up on Birds (pp 4-5) When you draw or paint something, you notice things you may not have seen before. That’s why Leonardo grew up to be a great artist and a great scientist. He was one of the first artists to draw things exactly as he saw them in nature. While sketching and painting birds, he learned a lot about their anatomy, or body structure.
TWO: The Young Apprentice
According to the artist biographer Vasari, Leonardo and Verrocchio worked together on the painting Baptism of Christ (1472-1475). Vasari wrote that Leonardo painted the young angel holding Jesus’ robe so skillfully and with such superior quality to his master that Verrocchio put down his brush and never painted again. New ideas in painting, and indeed culture, were rising up in Florence around this time, as the Renaissance was blossoming. Oil painting had just been introduced to Italy from northern Europe, and Leonardo spent a lot of time mixing different materials, and soon surpassed everyone in his use of the new medium. Leonardo also brought new perspective and depth to painting, as he used his skills in math and geometry to calculate the placement of lines in his drawings and paintings. And perhaps foremost to the new Rensaissance art was Leonardo’s passion to draw things as realistically as possible. He sketched incessantly and was an ardent observer of nature, animals, plants, people. Activity: Animal Art (p. 20) When Leonardo was a young apprentice in Florence, he spent all of his spare time drawing. Often, he went to the Medici family’s private zoo and drew the animals there. Take a trip to the zoo to sketch the animals or draw your pet at home. Materials:
Go over the shapes, building on them with heavier lines. Hold and move the pencil in different ways to get different effects. Draw soft, shaded lines lightly with the side of the pencil. Press down hard and move it back and forth for a hard, jagged line. Pencil in the distinctive features, such as the hooves and tail. For the horse, use soft, short strokes with the pencil held slightly at an angle to capture the texture of his hair. Use longer lines of different sizes for his flowing mane. THREE: A Genius at Work When Leonardo da Vinci was 30 years old, he left Florence for Milan, where he spent the next 17 years. At the persuasion of Lorenzo de’ Medici (hoping to secure peace between Florence and Milan), Da Vinci presented himself to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro. Leonardo wrote a letter to Ludovico, offering himself as a military engineer, and came before the Duke with a lira da braccio, lute, which he made himself and beautifully played before the court. Leonardo’s letter told of all the weapons and fortifications he could design to keep the city safe.
Leonardo’s love of music led him to study the science of sound, and he was one of the first to liken it to the motion of waves. He was also one of the first to note that il sole non si muove, the sun does not move - a remarkable observation in a day when people thought the sun revolved around the earth. In 1484 the plague struck Milan, and the thousands of dead people were left to rot in the streets. Leonardo, being the ultimate problem solver that he was, turned his attention to disease prevention. He designed a layout of the city that had wide streets and canals in place of the narrow ones, wide enough for proper sewage disposal, and a system for washing the streets automatically with locks and paddle wheels. It was a two-tiered town design, with the top streets for homes and churches, and the bottom streets to be used for deliveries and wagons.
Leonardo also received a commission to paint an altarpiece, for which he created Virgin of the Rocks, a stunning work which reflects his interest in nature. One of Leonardo’s most famous paintings, The Last Supper, was also painted in Milan. It took him over three years to complete this painting. Leonardo’s work habits are best reflected in The Last Supper. He often didn’t even finish his work, so the world is fortunate to have this masterpiece. Here’s how Herbert describes his work on The Last Supper:
When Leonardo finally finished, the painting was immediately acclaimed as a masterpiece, with superb design and characterisation. However, because Leonardo had used tempera paint over a ground of mostly gesso, instead of the more reliable fresco, it rapidly deteriorated. The Last Supper has undergone extensive restoration over the centuries, but is still one of the most reproduced works of art ever. Activity: Leonardo’s Lute (p. 31) Leonardo’s silver lute captured the heart of Ludovico. You can make a musical instrument from items found around the house. Adult supervision is recommended for this activity. Materials:
FOUR: “I Shall Continue.” With Italy at war with the French, Leonardo returned to Florence in 1500. In 1502, Leonardo entered the services of Cesare Borgia, the Duke of Valentinois. Borgia helped the French conquer Milan, and had ambitions to conquer all of central Italy. Borgia hired Leonardo da Vinci to be his military engineer, and Leonardo traveled all over Italy with him, examining castles and fortresses, and suggesting improvements for fortifications.
It is now known that the identity of the woman in the portrait is Lisa di Gherardini, the third wife of a Florentine silk trader named Francesco del Giocondo. Lisa di Gherardini was 26 years old at the time of the sitting and had recently lost a child. Herbert invites students to question the portrait: And what is she thinking? Why does she smile? A story is told that Leonardo had musicians and clowns in his bottega as the woman sat for her portrait, so that she would smile as he painted. But this smile has appeared in other paintings by Leonardo. Is he trying to tell us something? Is this a peaceful smile or is it a little disturbing? Why does she smile when she wears a black veil and all around her is dark and gloomy? Leonardo was back in Milan by 1508, and then moved to France at the behest of King François in 1516. He settled in the Loire valley in the beautiful manor house Clos Lucé, near the royal chateaux in Amboise, France, and became First Painter and Architect and Engineer of the King. Leonardo and King François visited together often, discussing philosophy, art, science. Though now paralyzed in one arm, Leonardo could still draw and supervise the work of his pupil. Leonardo wrote in his notebooks, “I shall continue,” and he never gave up his studies or his work. Leonardo died on May 2, 1519, and French legend tells us that he died in the arms of King François. Activity: The Craft of Cartography (p. 65) When Leonardo became a military engineer for Cesare Borgia he created many maps. Mapmakers are also called “cartographers.” Leonardo was one of the first cartographers to draw maps from a vista d’uccello, a bird’s-eye view. Materials:
I highly recommend Janis Herbert’s book, Leonardo da Vinci For Kids. These and many more activities can be found in her engaging book. She includes biographies of other famous Renaissance artists and historical figures, web sites to explore, and a helpful glossary. Other Resources: WebMuseum, Paris
Technorati Tags: art activities, art for children, art history, inventions, Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, The Last Supper Art Heist: What’s Your Theory?Posted February 12th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, germany, politics/world news5 Comments »
The spectacular art heist of this past Sunday at the Bührle Museum in Zurich has rocked the art world, and police are working around the clock to solve the case and find any possible connections with other recent thefts, including the theft the previous week of two Pablo Picasso paintings stolen from a Swiss exhibition near Zurich. A note on the museum’s website says “The museum remains closed.”
The stolen art work has been valued at $180 million and comprised four Impressionist masterpieces: Poppies near Vetheuil by Claude Monet (1879), Count Lepic and his Daughters by Edgar Degas (1871), Blossoming Chestnut Branch by Vincent Van Gogh (1890) and Boy in a Red Waistcoat by Paul Cezanne (1888). Since this month my blog features have been about great artists, and the first artist I covered was Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, this breaking news certainly caught my attention. The Bührle Museum did have a Renoir on display, Little Irene, but it wasn’t touched, probably because the three masked gunmen couldn’t carry anymore heavy paintings, and the robbers appeared to have just taken the first four they came to. Motive? I mean, you can’t go out and sell the famous stolen art. “It’s extremely hard, if not impossible, to sell these works,” said Michaela Derra of Ketterer Kunst GmbH, a Munich, Germany-based purveyor of modern and contemporary art. Here is a speculation:
However, I have my own little theory. There is apparently a Saudi collector sending his thugs out to steal art for his private collection. None of the current stories I’ve found on the Bührle theft have mentioned this connection, so I could be promoting an absurd idea. Nonetheless, just two months ago, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, paintings by Picasso and Portinari were stolen, but recovered. One of the suspects in the case told detectives the paintings were to be delivered to a Saudi collector, who has not been publicly named by authorities. The history of Mr. Emil G. Bührle is very interesting, and perhaps he himself was a collector who obtained stolen art, and conceivably everything has come full circle. Bührle, born in Germany, was an industry tycoon who provided weapons to the Third Reich during World War II. In the aftermath of the war, he amassed one of Europe’s most valuable collections of art. It’s a tragedy of the war that the Nazis looted much of the great art owned by Jews, and many of Bührle’s pieces were on a “looted art list.” Exactly how Bührle obtained his collection is unknown, but some of it is “flight art,” works smuggled out by Jews and sold at bargain-basement prices to avoid confiscation by Nazis. Maybe this art heist was Jews taking back their rightful property, via a Saudi collector, who will ask for a ransom. At this point, any theory can be thrown into the ring. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669)Posted February 10th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, features, history5 Comments »
His birthplace Leiden, a sophisticated and intellectual university town, claiming to have the most academic and research-oriented university in the Netherlands, today has a statue commemorating his life there. Rembrandt first opened a studio in Leiden in 1624, and never strayed too far from these roots.
Night Watch is variously called a portrait of a militia company or portraits of several leading citizens in their roles as citizen-soldiers, or a portrait of local leaders in the set roles of protectors of the citizens. It was commissioned by a group of local leaders, as was the custom of the time. But looking closer at Night Watch, you see something much more vibrant, modern and open-minded than a set group portrait of civic leaders. For example, in a place of prominence in the front and center is a child – a female child. For patriarchal society in 1600’s Netherlands, this was quite a departure. This portrait, with its sense of motion captured in an instant, and its large crowd, complete with lights, drums, weapons, and other accessories, has a party verve – it’s almost a caricature of warlike behavior – as if the locals gathered in a party mode, and are putting on a show of militia behavior, and yet it’s not a war at all, and no one is taking it seriously. The presence of the girl front and center adds to this sensibility. It’s as if these locals are saying in this picture – here we are, and we are ready to be a militia if we have to be, but really we aren’t, and we are entirely too civilized to take it very seriously. Night Watch down through the ages, along with the remembrance and legacy of Rembrandt in general, has lived a most interesting life with a jaunty air thoroughly in this original spirit. Early in her life, Night Watch suffered the ignomy of having her edges cut off, removing a number of townsfolk from the picture, for the simple reason that the picture was too big for its position on a wall (Night Watch remains a whopping 11 feet by 14 feet in size). In the 1800’s the Netherlands, in deference to the continuing centrality of Rembrandt and his work, specifically built its new state museum with rooms to accommodate Night Watch and other Rembrandts. Since moving into its new quarters in 1885, Night Watch has left only three times – most dramatically when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. The Dutch, in preparation for the invasion, detached Night Watch from her frame, rolled her up, and hid her, as well as a number of other Dutch masters, in secure quarters under sand dunes near Limburg. Night Watch was hidden for several years, and restored to her prominence after the war, never having been found by the Nazis. Night Watch was attacked a couple more times after World War II – not this time by a concerted invasion, but by mentally unstable individuals. Both attacks resulted in minor damage, which has been repaired.
This piece was written by my sister, Nancy Robinett. Nancy is a lawyer in Arizona and Washington and studied law at Leiden University in the Netherlands as part of her law school education. She has seen Night Watch in Amsterdam and highly recommends the experience to anyone traveling to Europe. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)Posted February 3rd, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, features, history4 Comments » Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) exemplifies the Impressionism that emerged in France in the latter half of the 19th century. These artists were very concerned with every aspect of light and took to painting en plein air, outside the confines of their studios, in the midst of the ever-changing sunlight.
Born in Limoges, France, to a working class family, Renoir worked as a boy in a porcelain factory and also painted hangings for overseas missionaries. In the early 1860s he began to study art under Charles Gleyre in Paris, where he met some artists who would be very influential in his Impressionist style: Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille.
During the 1860s, the Salon rejected so many submissions from Renoir and other Impressionist painters that an alternate exhibition was set up, the Salon des Refusés, where work refused by the Salon could be hung. The poverty of these painters was a shame, and at times during the 1860s, Renoir could not even afford paint. His work was considered crude and unfinished, and critics said he lacked the ability to draw. One particularly vicious critic had this to say about Renoir’s Nude in the Sunlight, painted in 1876: Try to explain to M. Renoir that a woman’s torso is not a mass of flesh in the process of decomposition with green and violet spots which denote the state of complete putrefaction of a corpse! The painting, in fact, was an elegant, sensual work which highlighted Renoir’s fascination with light and color. Independent Impressionist exhibits were staged during the 1870s, and most were disastrous. Renoir, along with some other painters of the Impressionist group, became disheartened with the labels they were receiving, and by the early 1880s, the cohesiveness of the group dissolved, with many going their own ways. For Renoir, he focused on nudes and portraits, and felt that “he had gone to the end of Impressionism.” By the late 1870s and 1880s, however, Renoir began to achieve some success. He painted from his garden at Montmartre, and then began to travel in the 1880s. He visited Algeria, Spain, and Italy. In 1883, at the island of Guernsey off the English Channel, he created 15 paintings in one month. His later paintings were sometimes crisper, sometimes with duller coloring, but always timeless subjects, very accessible and appealing, and above all, with lovely women. “Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.” And as a lover of the female form, he commented “I never think I have finished a nude until I think I could pinch it.”
Renoir began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and moved to the south of France around 1907, close to the warm air of the Mediterranean coast. Renoir continued painting during the last 20 years of his life, despite arthritis severely limiting his movement. He was wheelchair bound by 1912, but had a paintbrush strapped to his paralyzed fingers and kept at it. Impressionism, like many ideas and many individuals not appreciated in their time, has now been judged by history as a tremendous, liberating movement. Renoir certainly did his part to influence both French painting and world art, and his influence in painting continues to this day in the use of loose brushwork, a feeling of movement and light, and the use of pure, bright colors. On My WallPosted January 11th, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, family life1 Comment » Do you have a favorite picture or wall hanging? Can I see it? Here is my current favorite, gracing a short wall in my bedroom. Don’t we need to always be mindful of these words from 1 Corinthians 13, especially with our spouses? I’ll do a second post next week with links to all of your special works of art, for those of you who participate. Don’t forget to leave me a comment so I know where to find your link. Have a blessed weekend.
Winter CarnivalsPosted January 3rd, 2008 by Jen in arts & crafts, carnivals, holidays3 Comments » I have a few blog carnivals to update here, but I also discovered several Winter Carnivals around the world that look fabulously winterish and I wish I could attend them all!
And there’s definitely a feeling of winter in the air at the Carnival of Family Life. You can enjoy a virtual visit to this carnival of wintery blog entries. St. Paul, Minnesota, is famous for its Winter Carnival, the oldest and largest winter festival in the United States. Unbelievable ice sculptures, fun parades, cultural celebrations, and even an elaborate treasure hunt. Back in 1885, a New York reporter wrote that winter in St. Paul was “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” St. Paul set out to prove him wrong, and the result was the first St. Paul Winter Carnival, full of life and activity. After a visit to St. Paul, you can head to the next carnival, The Carnival of Homeschooling, with many New Year and winter themes as well! It’s the second anniversary of this carnival, and the hosts are wanting a new look. If you can come up with a new graphic to represent the Homeschool Carnival, be sure to enter it in the contest at Why Homeschool.
I have a cousin who lives in Sapporo, and he used to tell me about having snow up to his rooftop. All that snow gets turned into hundreds of gorgeous snow sculptures, lit up at night in brilliant light. It’s a wintery fantasy land. Are you feeling cold yet? Keep those gloves on, there’s a long winter ahead! It’s not so chilly over at the Christian Carnival, so stop in there and warm your soul. I’d also like to tell you that Diary of 1 will be hosting two different carnivals in January, 2008. The Christian Carnival will be right here on January 16, and the Carnival of Family Life will be presented here on January 21. Prepare those entries, I’m ready for some more fabulous winter carnivals! The week preceding each carnival, you are invited to submit your entry here for the Christian Carnival, and here for the Carnival of Family Life. Pumpkin Patch/Petting Zoo in Black and WhitePosted October 19th, 2007 by Jen in arts & crafts, family life6 Comments » We visited the pumpkin patch this week, and the kids have been happily drawing faces on their new orange buddies. We won’t carve them for another week, since we like them to last at least until October 31 without withering and wrinkling. I am lucky enough to have two fabulous pumpkin patches within ten minutes of my house. The farm we went to this week has a petting zoo, a play area with a hay maze, a country store filled with homestyle goodies, hay rides, and of course the pumpkins. Next week, we’ll visit the other pumpkin patch. Here are a few of my photos, in glorious black & white, from our outing. The Kids and I in the Pumpkin Patch
My Farm Boy is Ready to Wrangle The Big Boy Feeds the Llama Bunny Love for My Animal Loving Girl Umm, What to Say…Welcome to Sweet Farm Life Break a Leg, er, FingerPosted June 11th, 2007 by Jen in arts & crafts, education, product review3 Comments » In honor of this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling theme of “Fun,” (up tomorrow) this post is about a fun past-time over here, puppet shows.
We began with about a dozen puppets I gathered from various stores, and I’m such a frugal shopper that I found them all for between $1 and $5 - and some free, if you count the socks and gloves. I’m still on the lookout for some reasonably priced little boy and little girl (normal-looking children) puppets, so if you know of a deal, pass it on. I will not pay $15 for a puppet, so don’t bother passing that information along.
Occasionally, I visit the Well-Trained Mind swap board, and that’s where I discovered our first scripts. Thank you, Kristin!! There’s this amazing homeschool mom on a farm in Nebraska, Kristin Greenhalgh, who’s written several Christian-themed Puppet Script books. I ordered every single one, and you can find them here. We’ve performed several of these, and most are perfect for 1-4 children of a variety of ages, maybe ages 6-12. My favorites are The Reason for the Seasons volumes, covering every holiday from Advent to Yom Kippur. I told Kristin many months ago that I’d review her books here, so considered them reviewed: A+. Along with the Seasons scripts, Kristin has written Walking with God, 16 short scripts depicting important steps in the Christian walk. We like “Taming the Tongue.” Her scripts aren’t cheesy or tacky like some I’ve seen, but have very age appropriate dialogue. The third series, Living Like Jesus, includes 20 short scripts teaching Christ-like character traits and virtues. Great discussion questions follow each script, and when I say short, they are 1-2 pages long, perfect for young performers. You may also be interested in some online scripts that you can download for free. Reader’s Theater Editions has dozens of free scripts adapted from stories written by Aaron Shepard and others - lots of myths and tall tales. Reader’s theatre is different from puppet theater, but I’ve easily modified them. My kids especially enjoyed taking to the stage with The Baker’s Dozen. Acting and playmaking is such a wonderful, creative outlet for children. For homeschoolers, consider practicing a play with your own family or joining with another family, and put on a show for friends and relatives. You certainly don’t need the traditional “school play” model preventing your homeschooling kids from putting on a grand production! I Own a MonetPosted May 21st, 2007 by Jen in arts & crafts, education5 Comments » Our art time lately has been focused on Impressionism. My kids just seemed to like the feel of a fleeting moment on canvas, so we’re going with it. Impressionists were known for leaving their studios to get outside and paint in the open air, and were intensely interested in every aspect of light. Hey, that fits our family, it’s no wonder the kids like this style. I’m not artistic and have taken just one art class ever. But I’m here to encourage you that it doesn’t matter if you know Monet from Manet, if you even care about shadows and shading, or if you’re artistically clumsy like me. You can successfully teach art to your kids, and the method that’s working for me is Classical Immersion. I don’t know if that’s really a term, I just made it up.
The Classical Immersion method that produced this darling reproduction was simple. Lots of time spent with originals.
I think it’s great for kids to have plenty of creative self-expression time, and we have lots of that over here. The usual bag of art supplies is always handy - construction paper, glue, markers, paints, play dough, doodads. But by Classical, I mean being somewhat ordered, using original sources. Ruth Beechick writes, “Our society is so obsessed with creativity that people want children to be creative before they have any knowledge or skill to be creative with.” I think she’s referring to teaching language, but the idea can be applied across the spectrum. Those people who are trained to spot the counterfeit bills - guess what they spend all their time doing? Studying the original. Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise put it this way in their book, The Well Trained Mind: “Squeeze a dry sponge, and nothing comes out. First the sponge has to be filled.”
For studying Monet, we got some videos from the library about his life. Linnea in Monet’s Garden was really fun. Little Linnea gets to visit Giverny and walk among the gardens where Claude Monet painted his “blobs and smears,” as she notes. Monet from the series Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists was also a hit. If we had an art museum nearby, we’d go. But we don’t. So the books and videos are our museums, and we’ve had quite a few strolls down the their halls.
Here is the original Camille Pissarro, which now hangs in the Musee du Louvre in Paris.
After spending weeks on Impressionism, my son declared that he wanted to be an artist. That just means that he enjoyed our art time. After digging into a fun science project, he wants to be a scientist. That’s a good measuring rod for me, and his reactions tell me whether I’m teaching in such a way that reaches him and allows him to fully respond to the subject. Here comes the trainPosted March 19th, 2007 by Jen in arts & crafts, education, science0 Comments I love a picturesque, rural landscape, and my kids adore trains. I caught this scene a few days ago, as we were stopped at a train crossing in Terrebonne, OR. You can see Smith Rock in the background, and if you could hear, you’d be listening to my kids whooping in delight above the loud cry of the train whistle.
We were too inspired to pass up Smith Rock after seeing this, so the next day we headed over to the climbing mecca of the Northwest. Yeah, we go here a lot, and you would, too, if this was in your backyard.
Here I am with the kids, about to head down into the gorge where you see the Crooked River running through. This was part of our school day, and so here we are sketching the amazing spires of rock (…how did this get here, the kids ask). A local artist happened to be hiking by as the kids were happily engaged in their creative drawings, and had some kind words to offer.
What you see here is a wonderful little snapshot of the flexibility I love about home education. An inspiring moment with a train can lead to an afternoon of hiking, exploring, discussions about volcanic origins, creative art, and more nuances of my children’s development than I can know. To comment, click on the title above, then go to the bottom of the post and add your comment. Valentine’s K.I.S.S.Posted February 14th, 2007 by Jen in arts & crafts1 Comment » That’s keep it simple, sweetie. Valentine’s Day has become quite a festive overdose of candies and gifts. Two statistics that, for some reason, make me want to rebel: Valentine’s Day ranks second in the greeting card giving occasion, not including packaged kids Valentines (how about the Disney princess with the plunging neckline); and per capita consumption of candy by Americans is about 25 pounds. We do enjoy holidays over here, but for my sanity I need to keep things very basic. So, we spent the morning making cards (total supplies = a few sheets of construction paper, pen, and stickers). one of my daughter’s cards Then, we made playdough in the Valentine color of choice to give as gifts. Here’s the very simple recipe:Best Playdough Recipe1 cup flour1/2 cup salt1 tbsp alum1 tbsp oil1 cup warm waterHeat on low, stirring often, until playdough pulls away from pan.
Then we shaped the playdough into hearts, and placed it in plastic bags with the card attached. Voila, we’re done with the entire thing. Final touches Because we homeschool, we have the great privilege of avoiding the school parties that used to usher my kids home with tummy aches followed by sickness from the sugar shock to the immune system. Hooray for home! I actually have a friend whose kids are in school, but she is pulling them out for the day (to have a party with us, with our very simple cards and playdough). And no sugar. Well, maybe a tiny bit. |
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Strawberries are soon in season, and if you grow them yourself, how easy and delicious this tea party will be! An elegant bowl filled with fresh strawberries will grace the table, along with the table settings of tea cups, saucers, tea pots, dessert sized plates and forks. Mugs will not do for tea, but your tea cups do not need to match. It’s funny how tea tastes best when sipped from thin bone china. A white linen or lace tablecloth is a lovely touch, I mustn’t forget the soft linen napkins.
My first suggestion is to get some living color. Fresh cut flowers are always nice, but I prefer a plant that will continue to give me enjoyment beyond a few weeks. Cost-wise, a large bouquet of flowers is about the same price as a large flowering plant. Here is what I chose, an easy care Bromeliad Guzmania “Rana.” You can find these plants for about $10, depending on where you shop. Better deals will be found at your local nursery versus the grocery store plant section. 
I didn’t want to leave the bathroom out of all the fun, so I bought a new shower curtain with a wonderful spring look. It was $4.99, brand new at Goodwill, and truly needed because the upstairs bath currently has no shower curtain at all. The kids always take a bath in there, and the downstairs bathroom for the guests already has a shower curtain.
Welcome to the 45th Carnival of Homesteading! If you’ve been around here when I host a Blog Carnival, you know how much I love themes! But, alas, I had issues. Computers, kids, work, and some other meanies all conspired against me. Or maybe I was just lazy.
Spring is here! It came, then ducked under a series of freak hailstorms and a blanket of snow, only to emerge this weekend for good. The kids and I basked in a perfect April day on Friday, obeying the chipper call of the season to go for a hike.
Voila, you have a lovely child’s spring book! One neat thing about this style of book is that it allows such easy access to the items. Each piece of cardstock can be taken out and handled (as children can’t help but do), and easily returned to its proper place. And of course, the see-through ziplock bag is an essential as well, giving full visual stimulation.
We’ve been spending some time in the dirt getting the soil ready to start a garden. And no surprise, children are drawn to dirt like nothing else! You mean you want me to dig holes? I’m allowed to get filthy and mucky? To direct that childish energy and wonder into a productive endeavor like a garden is not only smart on the part of the parent, it’s a lifelong gift to both of you.
Here in Central Oregon, we’re still in the planning stages. We’re working with virgin land that’s never been planted and we have our own obstacles to maneuver. We have a lot of land to work with and can experiment with several ideas, but the ground itself has some limitations. Giant boulders being one. A very short growing season being another. 
To begin this project, select a flat 10×10 foot plot of ground that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Place a stake in the center of the area, and tie a 3-foot string to it. Your child can take hold of the very end of the string and walk in a circle, while another child walks behind with a hoe to mark what will be the outer boundary of the garden bed.
You can find more fabulous garden ideas and activities to do with children, such as a sunflower house, container gardens, and a moon garden, in Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots. Would you like to win a free copy? Leave me a comment and let me know you’d like this book! I’ll draw a random winner next week.
Rockwell was born in 1894 in New York. He was a prolific painter, producing over 4000 original works. It’s fitting that one of his first jobs was art editor for the Boy Scouts of America, and Rockwell’s annual contributions to the Boy Scouts’ calendars between 1925 and 1976 have earned him a permanent place in the hearts of millions. Steven Spielberg has said that Rockwell’s scouting paintings inspired him to pursue his life’s work.
Two of the four impressionist paintings 
Perhaps there’s something we don’t know about here. Was a ransom paid for the two returned paintings? And the two still at large, the more valuable ones, perhaps waiting a larger ransom? Why else undergo such a high risk theft only to return two of the masterpieces less than two weeks later? Only if you’re a raving lunatic.
When Leonardo was 14, his father sent him to Florence, where the young boy became apprenticed to the renowned master 
Draw the animal using geometric shapes. For the horse, you might start by lightly drawing a large circle for his rear, a long oval for his body, and another circle for his chest. Draw his neck and head as ovals. Draw narrow cylinders for his legs and small ovals for his feet. While making this preliminary sketch, notice proportion (for instance, the size of the head compared to the body). 
Leonardo was fascinated by technology and the workings of machines. He invented fire throwers and missiles, and made an early design for a machine gun. Hundreds of inventions were sketched out in his notebooks - tanks, helicopters, bicycles, submarines, hang gliders, pulleys, cranes, bridges, and more.
Anatomy was another passion of Leonardo. He went to hospitals to watch operations, he visited morgues to dissect bodies of the dead. He measured muscles, diagrammed organs, discovered the way blood flows through the body, and made important conclusions about lungs and oxygen. His knowledge surpassed the doctors of his time. Leonardo applied this deep understanding of the human body to his art, and excelled in drawing proportional anatomy.
Throughout all of these other pursuits, Leonardo da Vinci continued to paint. His patron, Ludovico, was invaluable during his time in Milan. Ludovico had Leonardo paint his friend Cecilia Gallerani, and Leonardo called the painting Lady with Ermine. It was so lifelike that a poet commented that “Nature herself was jealous.”
Draw a horse’s head (approximately 3 by 3 inches) at one end of the lid of the shoe box. Ask an adult to help you cut the shape out carefully with a utility knife. Make a 1 1/2 inch slit in the lid of the box 3 inches from the other end as shown. Make a bridge for the lute out of the small square of cardboard.
Around this time, Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa, beginning in 1503, the most famous painting in the history of art. Leonardo took the painting with him everywhere. Many historians say the Mona Lisa wasn’t finished when he left Florence, and that he completed it during his final stay in France. After Leonardo died, the painting was given to the king of France, and today, it hangs in the Louvre in Paris. 
Things to consider when making a map are direction, scale, and symbols. With these things in mind, you can make a map of your neighborhood, showing the way from your house to your friend’s house or from your house to school.
Looking at Rembrandt’s most famous work, 
Rembrandt remains central to Dutch identity, and a primary transitional painter into early modern times. His use of light and dark as intrinsic design elements, his willingness to flout earlier conventions of painting, his modern sensibilities in creating both action pictures and in individualistic portraits that resonate with more modern self-interest, all make him relevant to modern viewers, despite the passage of over three centuries. 
What many people don’t realized are the struggles of the Impressionist painters, who were critically mocked, shunned by their profession, and considered to be outrageous, lacking talent, and even anarchist, in their time.Success in the French art world was defined by acceptance at the 
These four men formed lasting friendships, and he painted with them in the Barbizon district, and met regularly with them and other painters of the Impressionist group at the 
In 1890, Renoir married Aline Victorine Charigot. The Renoirs had three sons. One son, Jean, became a filmmaker, another son, Pierre, became a stage and film actor. Many of his paintings after his marriage portray domestic scenes and family life.
There’s the oldest running winter carnival in the Eastern United States, in its 111th year, the 
Any list of Winter Festivals would be incomplete without the 
My gift to the kids this past Christmas was a Puppet Theater. You really don’t need a store-bought model, but I found a sale and we’ve dramatized over this enough to pay for it several times.
Our initial “plays” consisted of bopping the other’s puppet over the head and spiraling into wild screams and laughter. This is all good, but sometimes you want a little more. :-)
So, I do own a Monet. To be exact, it’s 
The immersion part of my method is really simple, too. I guess this would fit the Unit Method approach to teaching. Everything Impressionist we could get our hands on, we did. My basic “text” was a book that happened to be on my bookshelf, called 
